Silent Understanding
by WeBuiltThePyramids
Summary: "He loves you. A year ago I'd have said that he didn't understand that, but he does. He might not know how to express it in the way you're familiar with, but you're extremely important to him. He needs you. He could never resent you." Walter and Paige talk after he wakes up in the hospital. Obviously, spoilers for Postcards from the Edge.


**I thought of this last night when I was trying to sleep, how Ralph is getting better at expressing himself to Paige and she is better at understanding him, but there are still moments where she doubts herself in terms of whether or not she's doing right by him. And I wanted to use this conversation as a double meaning, with Walter talking about Ralph as well as himself.**

* * *

She rose from her seat against the wall when she heard a quiet groan. "Walter? You awake?"

He blinked a couple of times before turning his head. His eyes focused. "Paige."

She walked over to his bedside, taking an awkward step from the stiffness of sitting on the floor overnight. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"I've had worse. What time is it?"

"Almost morning."

He thought a moment. "Were you here all night?"

"Well, you know. I didn't know if you might need anything, and it's not like I was there for you yesterday so..."

"Wasn't your fault. You were taking care of Ralph."

She smiled. "Thank you, Walter."

"Where is the little guy?"

"Happy and Toby are watching him." Paige looked away. "I figured it'd be good for him to spend some time with them, since this morning he was thinking he might not see them again." She looked down. "Just before he left he thanked me for not...not taking him away from you guys."

"And..." Walter frowned. "This bothers you? Him expressing gratitude?"

"No," she said, flustered. "I mean, okay." She mentally kicked herself for admitting it so quickly. Walter wasn't Toby. She could have easily convinced him otherwise. The truth was out; she forged on. "He kept telling me that he didn't want to leave, but I told him it was what was best. I know he didn't believe me...I mean, I didn't know if _I_ believed me but I thought it was something I had to try, and I hate the idea that he might have resented me had we moved to Maine. I...I don't know if you understand that, but..." she bit her lower lip, "I've just recently been able to connect with him. And tonight made me wonder just how close I was to maybe losing that, and..." her voice cracked, just slightly, and she put a hand to her mouth. "I know it's stupid, I'm just really emotional and stuff." She almost added a _you know? _to the end of her sentence. Of course Walter knew.

"You wouldn't have lost him."

She hadn't expected him to answer to fast."I, I know, it's just..." She wrung her hands. "When he thanked me, I just heard it, you know, I almost took him away from the first people that have ever made him feel...that he could relate to and who made him feel like someone special instead of like there was something wrong with him and..." her voice cracked again as she flashed back to all the times that he'd come home from school so hurt and dejected that he wouldn't even look at her, much less speak, until several hours later when he came to her with the nail polish.

Walter exhaled deeply, nodding as he processed what she said. "He might have been sad at the idea of leaving Scorpion," he said, "but he wouldn't be able to function without you. One day he will. But not yet. He knows that. You're his world, Paige. We may have..._expanded_...that world, but it _starts_ with you. Without you...there's so much that just doesn't work. You remember that first day? We needed someone to drive and he..."

"The keys."

He nodded. "Yeah. We needed someone to help save the day, and he knew you were the one."

Paige wasn't sure how to respond, but a small smile came over her face.

"Ralph loves you," Walter continued, and if Paige wasn't so emotional over what he was saying about her son she'd be amused at how talkative a medicated Walter O'Brien was. "A year ago I'd have said that he didn't understand that, but he does. He might not know how to express it in the way you're familiar with, but you're extremely important to him. He needs you. He could never resent you. And even though you might make him sad or angry, he understands that you are always trying to do what is right. Even if it's hard."

"You're right." She nodded, still smiling, still amazed and grateful that there were people in her life who could translate Ralph to her so easily and completely. "You're right."

"But you really didn't need me to tell you that, did you?"

"You know? At the back of my mind, I do think I knew. That he understood, I mean."

"Do _you_ understand?"

She was thrown off, and cocked her head as she looked down on him. "Do I understand what?"

"What I just said." He held her gaze. "_Do you understand_?"

"Yeah." She nodded, slowly but without hesitation. "Yeah, Walter, I understand."

The beginnings of a smile appeared on his face. "Good."

She looked toward the door. "I need to go pick up Ralph."

"Bring him by. Later."

"Sure. Later." She reached out and briefly rested her hand on top of his. "Thanks, Walter."

* * *

**In case it wasn't clear (I don't like having characters explicitly spell everything out if they wouldn't do that in canon), Paige was wondering if Ralph thanking her for not taking him away from the team meant that Scorpion was his top priority, and if he valued Scorpion more than anything, their relationship might have suffered immensely had she taken him to Maine. Hopefully it wasn't too confusing...I did come up with this at 3am, haha**


End file.
